Telecom Circular CRTC 2005-4
Ottawa, 9 February 2005
Telecommunications industry data collection: updating of CRTC registration lists, telecommunications fees, Canadian revenue-based contribution regime, international licences and monitoring of the Canadian telecommunications industry
Purpose of this circular
1. The purpose of this circular is to provide notification of administrative changes that the Commission is implementing to better coordinate and streamline a number of activities it undertakes in order to regulate and monitor the Canadian telecommunications industry. These administrative changes complement Telecom Circular CRTC 2003-1, 11 December 2003 (Circular 2003-1) and focus on the Commission's annual collection of telecommunications industry data, details of which can be found on the Commission's website at http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/dcs/2005/index.htm.
2. This annual telecommunications industry data collection supports the Commission's activities relating to:
- maintaining and updating telecommunications entity registration lists;
- supporting the annual filing requirements and renewing of international licences;
- setting telecommunications fees;
- administering the revenue-based contribution regime; and
- preparing the annual Report to the Governor in Council: Status of Competition in Canadian Telecommunications Markets - Deployment/Accessibility of Advanced Telecommunications Infrastructure and Services.
Annual collection of telecommunications industry data
3. Each year, the telecommunications industry is surveyed and is required to provide information. In order to reduce the reporting burden on smaller entities the Commission has stratified the industry into two broad groups for the 2005 data collection to simplify the data collection for most of the smaller entities.
Group 1 entities
4. This group is made up of telecommunications entities that meet any one of the following criterion:
- they have significant Canadian telecommunications revenues;
- they file a CRTC telecommunications tariff;
- they hold a basic international telecommunications licence (BITS);
- they are in a related group that has total telecommunications revenues in excess of $10 million;
- they are subject to any other electronic data collection forms in the Commission's web-based Data Collection System (DCS).
5. For Group 1 entities data will be collected by the DCS. This year, in order to increase security, the Commission has introduced the Government of Canada's epass security package, a unique electronic credential (username/password) that is used to communicate securely with on-line Government services.
6. All Group 1 Response Managers (as defined in Circular 2003-1) and Form Respondents will be required to apply for an epass in order to access the DCS. Details of how to apply for an epass can be found at http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/file.htm.
7. The data collection process for Group 1 entities is the same as last year and will be undertaken as a two-step process.
8. Step 1 - The Commission will issue a Reporting Entity Profile (REP) form to be completed in February 2005. The REP form is used to identify and update entity contact details and background information.
9. Step 2 - Upon receipt of the completed REP form by the Commission, detailed telecommunications sector data collection forms (data forms) will be issued, largely based upon the response to the REP form. All data forms issued to entities must be submitted in two stages, one by 31 March 2005 and the other by 30 April 2005. Full details on submission dates can be found at http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/dcs/2005/index.htm.
Group 2 entities
10. This group consists of smaller entities that do not file CRTC telecommunications tariffs nor participate in certain telecommunications processes (telecommunications fees, international licence holders, etc.).
11. In February 2005 a pre-populated simplified REP form will be mailed to entities in Group 2. The simplified REP form must be completed and returned to the CRTC by 31 March 2005.
12. Group 1 and Group 2 entities will be advised whether they are to complete the REP form or simplified REP form by postal mail. Sample copies of the REP, data and simplified REP forms will be available in early February 2005 on the CRTC's website at http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/dcs/2005/form.htm.
Confidentiality of data
13. Entities submitting data as part of the annual telecommunications industry data collection are currently required to make a claim for confidentiality for their data except for data filed under the contribution regime which is already filed in confidence pursuant to paragraph 103 of Changes to the contribution regime, Decision CRTC 2000-745, 30 November 2000.
14. Beginning with the 2005 data collection, most data forms in the DCS will be filed, in confidence, with the Commission. Such forms will be marked "Filed in Confidence". Certain forms, for example, data required to be published on the CRTC's website for telecommunications registration lists, will not automatically be considered to have been filed in confidence. In the absence of the text "Filed in Confidence" on any DCS form, confidentiality for the form in question must be specifically claimed in the form's Notes text box.
Maintaining and updating entity registration lists
15. The Commission currently maintains a number of lists of telecommunications entities that have registered with it pursuant to various Commission decisions. These lists are widely used by the public, third party administrators, the Commission and the industry. These lists can be accessed via the Commission's website at: http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/lists.htm.
16. These registration lists contain personal contact information of individuals and Canadian carriers provided in the course of the Commission's registration activities. The Commission hereby notes its intent to continue to compile this information in publicly available lists on the CRTC website.
17. As noted in Circular 2003-1, entities should be aware that failure to complete and submit forms on a timely basis, will result in the removal of their information from the Commission's registration lists. Once an entity's information is removed from the registration lists, there could be consequences such as the inability to access competitor services and their associated rates, to negotiate or renew interconnection agreements, to secure numbering resources, etc. Entities that have been removed from the registration lists may be reinstated once the completed form(s) have been provided to the Commission.
Affidavits
18. In the case of the Canadian revenue-based contribution regime, all telecommunications service providers, or groups of related service providers, are required to file an annual compliance statement attesting to the accuracy of their submission. In the case of international licence holders certain information must be filed annually by affidavit.
19. Where compliance statements or affidavits are required to be submitted electronically as part of the web-based DCS, entities are to submit scanned copies of their compliance statement or affidavit. The original of the compliance statement or affidavit is to be kept at the entity's premises and made available to the CRTC on request.
Secretary General
This document is available in alternative format upon request and may also be examined at the following Internet site: http://www.crtc.gc.ca
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